Back to School with ADHD

Summer is almost over, and back to school is here for some or shortly approaching for others. This can be a stressful time for the ADHD child and parent. Some children are taken off of their ADD/ADHD medication for the summer to give them a break in side effects, and the restart is on the horizon. The previous dosage of medication may be restarted which might prove to be too much or too little, depending upon the way the child responded to the stopping of medication.

Here are some suggestions to make the transition go more smoothly:

Start the school schedule two weeks before school starts: Morning routine with early awakening, breakfast preparation, packing lunches, getting dressed, gathering backpacks and school supplies. If school has already started for you keep this tip in your back pocket for the next long break from school.

Find our when the best time seems to be to give your child ADHD medication. It may be before the child gets out of bed because mornings are so hard for some children. It may be at breakfast while the child is eating. It may be at school to be dkrutkaistered by the school nurse. The schedule may depend on how crucial it is to get the medication on board in the morning or how difficult it is to remember taking the medicine.

Developing a list may be helpful. Have the child help you develop the list. The list should be posted in big letters in a location that can be easily seen and followed by the child. Sometimes it may be helpful to have the child check off the items as they go through the list. An example of the list could be:

Get out of bed

Go to the bathroom

Brush teeth

Wash face

Get dressed

Eat breakfast

Take medicine

Gather backpack

Get lunch bag

Go to bus stop

Routine, routine, routine. This is the key for helping mornings to be less stressful for the child and parents.

Just like the morning routine it’s a good idea to start the night time schedule in advance. Bedtime should be determined by the parent and the entire family should start following this schedule. This includes planning dinner time, homework time, bath time and setting up for the next morning. The more the schedule can be practiced, the more smoothly it might go when school actually starts. Again if school has already started for you then keep this in mind for next year. Go ahead and give these tips a shot even if school has already started, it’s never too late to start a routine!

If a child will be attending a new school, make sure he or she is able to visit the school, look over the classroom and ideally meet the teacher. On this occasion, a parent might want to discuss with the new teacher the problems the child has had in the past. Try to get an open door policy that you can contact the teacher if you are concerned about any problems and the teacher can in turn contact you with any problems. This can prevent any misunderstanding or techniques where the child plays the teacher against the parent.

If is child is attending a school that he or she has been to before, it would be helpful for the parent to talk to the new teacher before the child meets the teacher and let the teacher know the problems the child has had in the past. Enlist the teacher’s advocacy in helping the child have a smooth start to the school year. Also try to keep the open door policy in place so information about the child’s progress can flow freely between the teacher and the parent.

Remember to talk to the child about the reason he or she is going to school. School has a wonderful place in a child’s development and should be fun, challenging and fulfilling. If a child is not looking forward to school, there is a reason. The reason needs to be determined and addressed. Stay on top of his or her performance and see your physician about a month after school starts to discuss the progress or problems in school. It is at this time that a medication check-up should be done to make sure dosage is appropriate.

Stay positive. Get organized and stick to routines. If there are problems, approach resolution earlier that later. Have fun this year. Keep in touch!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Krutka, MD

Dr. Krutka is a board-certified pediatrician who works in private practice in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her practice includes all ages of patients from newborns to young adults. Her areas of interest include attention...read more